Circuit breaker mechanism



Oct. 7, 1941. A. c. SCHWAGER 2,258,195

CIRCUIT BREAKER MECHANISM Fiied Oct. 25, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 i I 1. 1w

- INVENTOR.

BY I wffl @Fvfi Oct. 7, 1941.

Filed Oct. 25, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

1941- A. c. SCHWAGER 2, ,1

C IRCUIT BREAKER MECHANISM Filed Oct. 25, 1940 5 Sheets-$heet 3 Oct. 7,1941. A. c. SCHWAGER 2,258,195

CIRCUIT BREAKER MECHANISM Filed Oct. 25, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 girl auwt /Mwa n TTOE'NE).

vOct. 7, 1941.

A. c. SCHWAGER CIRCUIT BREAKER MECHANISM Filed Oct. 25, 1940 5Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 7, 1941 CIRCUIT BREAKER MECHANISM August 0. Schwager,Millbrae, Calif., assignor to Pacific Electric ManufacturingCorporation, San Francisco, Calif.;2a corporation of CaliforniaApplication October 25, 1940, Serial No. 362,745

10 Claims.

The present invention relates to circuit breaker operating mechanisms,and more particularly to a new and improved mechanism by means of whichan initial opening, a reclosing, and a subsequent opening operation ofthe circuit breaker is obtained by two springs from an initiallystressed energy storing condition. a

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, effective andimproved spring operated mechanism by means of which a circuit breakermay be operated through a series of opening and closing movements in anentirely automatic manner, as determined by the load conditions upon thecircuit to be controlled by the circuit breaker.

Another object of the invention is to provide a circuit breakeroperating mechanism of the spring operated type in which a pair ofenergy storing springs are automatically stressed by a single motor andreleased by successively operating tripable mechanisms to effect anopening, a reclosing and, if required, a subsequent opening of thecircuit breaker upon each stressing of said springs by said motor.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanismemploying two energy storing springs in which the springs aresuccessively restored to their energy storing condition in an automaticmanner by an electric motor or other motive means after each successiveoperaa tion thereof.

In the prior art there is illustrated a large number of circuit breakeroperating mechanisms wherein spring means are relied upon to furnishoperating energy therefor, but insofar as I am aware, none of thesedevices are capable, from an original stressed condition of the springmeans, of providing the circuit breaker operations obtained by thepresent invention. In Wilkins et al.Patent No. 1,612,483-which is one aof the earliest attempts to provide an operating mechanism of thepresent character, there is shown an operating mechanism employing twosprings that operate through a suitable mecha nism to effect a closingand an opening movement of a circuit breaker; and in Letters Patent No.1,853,744 to James C. Rea, assigned to the assignee hereof, there isshown a similar mechanism employing two springs which, like thedisclosure of Wilkins, is only capable of effecting a closing and anopening of the circuit breaker from an initially stressed condition ofthe spring means. In the control of circuit breakers, and particularlythose of the reclosing type, it has become more and more important thatthe re- (cl. zoo-s9) closing of a circuit breaker after an initialopenclosing thereof by the operating mechanism, such as are disclosed inthe above mentioned patents. It is, therefore, a further object of thepresent invention to provide a spring operated mechanism that is animprovement on the above devices and one which will provide asubstantially instantaneous and automatic reclosing of the circuitbreaker after an initial opening thereof due to a fault. In accordancewith the present invention, this is accomplished by providing two ener-'gy storing springs, one of which will function to operate the mechanismin a circuit breaker opening manner, and the other of which is adaptedand arranged to operate the mechanism in a circuit breaker reclosingmanner under the control of suitable tripable mechanisms.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part evident tothose skilled in the art and in. part pointed out hereinafter inconnection with the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein there is shown by way of illustration andnot of limitation a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end View of a completely assembled device partially insection and with parts broken away to reveal details of construction,

Figure 2 is a side view of the device illustrated in Figure 1 partiallyin section and showing further details of construction,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view showing details of the operatingmechanism in one stage of its operation,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan View of the mechanism illustrated inFigure 3 with certain parts broken away to faciiltate the descriptionthereof,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view similar to Figure 3 showing theillustrated elements of the mechanism in the positions assumed when thecircuit breaker is in its open circuit position,

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 5 showing the elements of themechanism in another of their operating positions, and

Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 are diagrammatic views illustrating the variouspositions of and manner in which the various elements of the mechanismcooperate to produce the required circuit breaker operations.

The novelty of the present invention is considered to reside in theprovision of a new and novel operating toggle mechanism employing a pairof energy storing springs that operate through suitable operating leversunder the control of cooperating tripable mechanisms that are responsiveto conditions upon the circuit in which the circuit breaker is connectedand as determined by suitable interlocking circuits which areestablished in accordance with the well understood practice and whichprovide for a proper sequence of operation of the tripable mechanism tothe end that a series of collapsing and extending operations of thetoggle mechanism, under the influence of the energy storing springs,will operate to initially open the circuit breaker in the event of afault or abnormal condition upon the power line, and substantiallyinstantaneously effect a reclosing of the circuit breaker and hold thecircuit breaker in this position in the event that the fault or overloadis eliminated by said initial opening of the circuit breaker, and whichwill, in the event of a sustained fault or overload, again operate toeffect a second opening of the circuit breaker without requiring arestressing of the energy storing springs during the course of theseoperations.

As illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings, the above described togglemechanism with its operating levers and tripable mechanisms, designatedgenerally by the numeral I9, is located in the upper part of a suitableenclosing housing I I and immediately above two energy storing springsI2 and I3. As here shown, the energy storing spring I2 is mounted withina cylinder I4 that is pivotally mounted at its lower end upon a fixedsupport I5 and below a piston-like member I6 that is carried by a rod I!that connects with a lever I8 carried by a circuit breaker operatingshaft I9. The energy storing spring I3 is likewise mounted within acylinder 20 which is journaled at its lower end upon a crank 2| formedupon a shaft 22 that is adapted to be turned, as will hereinafterappear, by means of an electric m0- tor 23. In this instance, the springI3 is mounted between the upper end of the cylinder 29 and a piston-likemember 24 that is carried by a rod 25 which connects with a lever means26 of the operating toggle mechanism I9. At this point it may be statedthat the energy storing spring I3 is of a more powerful constructionthan is the spring I2. This is necessary as the energy storing spring I3is required to store sufficient operating energy to operate the togglemechanism I0 and also effect a compression of the spring I2 to storesufficient energy therein to eifect a further operation of the togglemechanism I9, as will hereinafter appear. In order that the springenergizing motor 23 may be of small power and also provide a properspeed of rotation of the crank shaft 22, it is shown as connected to thecrank shaft 22 through a suitable speed reducing gear 21 and a chaindrive 28 that extends therefrom over a sprocket 23 upon the end of thecrank shaft 22. As a means to provide for a manual operation of thecrank shaft 22, the reduction gear 21 is provided with an extendingshaft 30 that may be operated by means of a hand crank 3! when appliedthereto.

Reference is now made to Figure 2 of the drawings for a description ofthe electrically responsive controlling means and the interlockingcircuit controlling elements that are associated with the togglemechanism to control the tripable mechanisms in an automatic manner inresponse to power circuit conditions or from a remote manual controlstation. As illustrated in Figure 1, the elements of the toggleoperating mechanism ID are mounted between two vertically disposedsupporting plates 32 and 33. The plate 33 also serves as a support foran electromagnetic trip device 34 having an armature 35 that ismechanically connected to an operating lever 36 which is connected to alatch (not shown) that controls one of the tripable mechanisms providedto control the reclosing operation of the toggle mechanism It. Thisplate 33 also carries a bracket 31 that supports a secondelectromagnetic trip device 38 which has an armature 39 that is adaptedto control a second latch (not shown) which is associated with the othertripable mechanism to control the circuit breaker opening operation ofthe toggle mechanism III. In addition to the trip devices 34 and 38, theplate 33 also supports a multiple circuit auxiliary switch 40 of thetype illustrated in copending application Serial No. 355,132, filedSeptember 3, 1940, by Joseph S. Thompson. This auxiliary switch 40 isoperated by a radially extending arm 4I mounted upon the end of thecircuit breaker operating shaft I9. With this arrangement it will beunderstood that as the circuit breaker operating shaft [9 oscillatesbetween its two operating positions, the several circuit controllingcontacts of the auxiliary switch 40 will be opened and/or closed, asdetermined by the control circuits in which the several contacts areconnected. In addition to the radial arm 4|, the operating shaft I9 isalso provided with an additional arm 42 that is connected by means of aflexible bowden wire 43 to a releasing lever 44 of a timing mechanism45, such as is illustrated and described in my copending application forPatent Serial No. 323,547, filed March 12, 1940. The purpose of thismechanical connection between the operating shaft I9 and the timingmechanism 45 is to provide for a release or starting of the timingmechanism 45 to thus determine the lapsed time period between the secondand subsequent reclosing operations of the circuit breaker, as willhereinafter appear. It will be understood that any other suitable timingmechanism 45 may be used for this purpose. The plate 33 also supports amotor circuit controlling switch 45 that is responsive to the operatingtoggle mechanism I3 and the wound condition of the energy storing springI3. The motor controlling switch 46 is of the rotary type and has ashaft 41 that is biased in one direction by means of a tension spring 48and is moved in a reverse or clockwise direction by means of a lever 49carried thereby which is engaged by a pin 50 carried by a toggleextending mechanism, as will hereinafter appear. As here shown, thelever 49 is arranged to be held in its downward position by means of alatch 5I that is held in latching relation with the lever 49 by means ofa spring 52. The latch 5I is also here shown as movable against theaction of the spring 52 to release the lever 49 by means of a rod 53that connects with a cam operated lever 54 which cooperates with a cam55 secured upon the end of the crank shaft 22 to which the lower end ofthe energy storing spring device I3 is connected.

Reference is now made to Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the drawings for adetailed description of the operating toggle mechanism and itsassociated tripable mechanisms by means of which it is renderedresponsive to the action of the energy storing springs l2 and I3. Inthese figures of the drawings, it will be noted that-in addition to thelever arm I8, towhich the energy storing spring [2 is connected, theoperating shaft l9 also carries an upwardly extending lever arm 56' towhich a circuit breaker controlling rod or' other means 51 is adapted tobe connected. The operating shaft l9 also carries a downwardly extendinglever arm '58 that is connected at its lower end to one end of a link 59which, in conjunction with a similar link 60, forms the operatingelements of the toggle mechanism I0. To complete this toggle mechanism,the other end of the link 60 is supported upon a lever means 6| that ispivotally mounted upon a shaft 62. This pivotally mounted lever means 6|is here shown as biased into an operative position by means of acompression spring 63' where it is retained by a latch 64 that forms apart of a tripable mechanism 65. -When the pivotally mounted lever means6| is latched in the position illustrated, it will provide a fixedfulcrum for the toggle mechanism formed by the links 59 and 6D, and whenit is released by an operation of the tripable mechanism 65, it provideswhat may be termed a floating fulcrum which will permit a longitudinalmovement of the toggle links 59 and 60 under the influence of thecircuit breaker opening spring l2. In order to position the toggle links59 and 66 when in their extended condition and control their movementsupon a U collapse thereof, the central joint of the toggle mechanism isarranged to cooperate with a pivotally mounted abutment 66 and astationary guide plate 61 that is mounted between the supporting plates32 and 33. shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, the links 59 and 60 of thetoggle mechanism H] are of split or link-like construction and at theircentral joint they are secured together in ofiset relation with eachother by means of a shaft 68 which also carries a pair of spacingrollers 69 and 16 that cooperate respectively with the stationary guideplate 61 and the lever means 26 previously described as controlled bythe energy storing spring l3. it will also be noted that the fulcrumproviding end of the lever means 6| is connected between the sides ofthe toggle link 66. The supporting shaft 62 of the lever means 6| isalso here shown as supported between the stationary guide plate 33 toform a support for a shaft 12 that is arranged in substantially coaxialalignment with the normal operating center of the floating ful crum ofthe toggle mechanism'provided by the pivotally mounted lever means 6!.The shaft '12 is shown as extending through. a hub 13 of the lever means26 previously referred to as operated by the energy storing spring 3.With this arrangement it will be seen that when the en ergy storingspring l3 operates to extend the toggle mechanism, as previouslysuggested, the lever means 26 will be moved in an arcuate path similarto that followed by the link 60 of the toggle mechanism, but in a planedisplaced sidewise therefrom. In order to transmit this arcuate movementof the lever means 26 to the toggle mechanism formed by the links 59 and60, the lever means 26 is provided with an overhanging pawl 74 that ispivotally mounted on one side thereof and in overhanging relation withrespect to the roller upon the shaft 68 which forms As is more clearlyin this latter figure of the drawings, 1

the middle joint of the toggle formed by the links 59 and 60. As is moreclearly shown in Figures 3, 5 and 6 of the drawings, the lever means 26is of substantially triangular configuration and has a dimension betweenits fulcrum upon the shaft 12 and the shaft 15 that is greater than thelength of the toggle link between its centers. Ihis will permit thetoggle link 60 to move in a collapsing direction independently of thelever means 26 at any time after the toggle mechanism has reached itsextended condition, should this be required. The pawl 14 has an upwardlyextending fan-like portion. 16 that carries a pin 11 with which alatching lever 18 cooperates to hold the pawl 14 in its toggle engagingposition. The fan-like portion 16 is also shown in Figure 3 as having asemi-spherical recess 19 into which a spring pressed ball 86 at the sideof the lever means 26 is adapted to cooperate to temporarily retain thepawl 74 in an inoperative position upon the lever means 26 under certainconditions of operation, as will hereinafter appear, The latching lever18 is pivoted intermediate its ends upon a shaft BI and is biased intoan operative position with respect to the pin 11 by means of acompression spring 82. At its lower end the latching lever 18 normallyengages a stop 83 formed between the sides of the lever means 26 andwhen the lever means 26 is moved downwardly, this end of the lever 18 isalso adapted to engage an abutment 86 that is yieldingly supported upona bracket by means of a compression spring 86. The engagement of thelatching lever 18 with the abutment 84 under these conditions willrelease the pawl 14 so that it may be turned out of engagement with theroller 10 of the toggle mechanism by a stiff leaf spring 81, as shown inFigure 6 of the drawings. For the purpose of resetting the pawl 14 inits normal operating position when the lever means 26 is returned to itsoperative position, there is also provided a second leaf spring 89 thatis adapted to engage the other edge of its fan-like portion 16, as shownin Figures 3 and 5 of the drawings. With this arrangement it will beseen that with the leaf springs 81 and 88 above referred to arranged atpoints corresponding to the limits of travel of the lever means 26 andwhere they will engage opposite sides of the fan-like portion 16 of thepawl Hi, the latter member will be respectively moved out of and intocooperating relation with the middle joint between the toggle links 59and 66, and when in operation, it will be secured against accidentaldisplacement by means of the latching lever 78. as previously described.

Before passing on to a description of the tripable mechanisms that areprovided to control the operation of the toggle mechanism, it should benoted, as shown in Figure '3, that the pivotally mounted abutment 66,which cooperates to retain the toggle links 59 and 63 in their extendedposition, is pivotally mounted upon a shaft 89 and is biased into anoperative position against an adjustable screw 96 by means of a leafspring 9|. In connection with this figure of the drawings it should alsobe stated that the lever means 26 is here illustrated as in itsuppermost or overtravel position which occurs at the time the crank 2|with the energy storing spring it is in its uppermost position. Thisover-travel of the lever means 26 is provided to insure a full andcomplete resetting of the tripable mechanisms. Under normal operatingconditions, it will be understood that when the tripable mechanisms arereset, the lever means 26 will come to rest in the position where it isshown in Figure 5 of the drawings.

The tripable mechanism 65, which serves to control the floating fulcrumof the toggle mechanism formed by the links 59 and 69 and which isadapted to be operated by the electromagnetic trip device 33 to effectan opening of the circuit breaker, is shown as biased into latched andoperative relation with the lever means 6| by a compression spring 92.The other tripable mechanism, which is operated by the electromagnetictrip device 34 to effect a circuit breaker reclosing operation of thetoggle mechanism, is shown as comprising a latching lever 93 that ispivotally mounted upon a shaft 94 which carries the operating lever 36previously described in connection with Figure 2 of the drawings. Thislatching lever 93 is biased into latching relation with an abutmentforming means 95 by means of a compression spring 96. The abutmentforming means 95 is shown as mounted upon a shaft 9'! in such a mannerthat its outer extending end, which carries an anti-friction roller,will be non rally disposed in the path of the lever means 26 when in itslatched position. Conversely, when released by the latching lever 93, asillustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings, this abutment forming means 95will rotate clockwise and out of interfering relation with the levermeans 26 so that the latter means may move downwardly under theinfluence of the energy storing spring |3 to effect an extension of thetoggle mechanism formed by the links 59 and 69. The abutment formingmeans 95 is also shown as biased into an inoperative position withrespect to the lever means 26 by a tension spring 98 that operatesthrough a link 99 attached thereto. The link 99 is also shown asconnected at its outer end to a second link I09 that is secured upon afixed pivot |0| and which carries an adjustable abutment I62 which isadapted to be engaged by the lever means 26 when it approaches its upperlimit of travel, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. When the levermeans 26 is thus moved into engagement with the abutment I62 carried bythe link I00, an operating force will be exerted through the link 99that will move the abutment forming means 95 against the action of thetension spring 98 and into holding relation with the lever means 26.

Reference is now made to Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the drawings for adescription of the operation of the invention through an initial openingof the circuit breaker due to an overload or fault condition upon thepower line, and an instantaneous reclosing of the circuit breaker underan assumed condition in which the fauit or overload is removed upon thefirst opening operation of the circuit breaker. For the purpose of thisdescription it will be assumed that the tripable mechanisms, which arecontrolled by the latches 64 and 93, are operating to hold the energystoring springs l2 and 3 in their pressed or energy storing condition,as illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings. Under these conditions, thelever means 26 will be held in its uppermost position with respect tothe energy storing spring l3 by the abutment forming means 95, and throller 69 carried by the middle joint of the toggle formed by the links59 and 63 will be held under the pivotally mounted abutment 66 by themovable fulcrum providing lever means 6| and as a result, the toggleformed by the links 59 and 69 will be held in extended relation withrespect to each other where they will hold the circuit breaker operatingshaft I9 against rotation under the influence of the energy storingspring I2. Now, should an overload or fault occur upon the power line,the electromagnetic trip device 38 will respond to this abnormalcondition and move the latch 64 out of retaining relation with the levermeans 6| which, as previously described, provides a floating fulcrum forthe toggle formed by th links 59 and 69. As this occurs, the lever means6| will rotate clockwise against the action of its biasing spring 63under the influence of a predominating endwis force which will beexerted upon the toggle links 59 and 60 by the energy storing spring |2as it operates through the lever arms I8 and 56 in rotating theoperating shaft l9 into its circuit breaker open position. Then, as thisoccurs, the roller 69 carried by the toggle links 59 and 69 will movelaterally out of engagement with the pivotally mounted abutment 66,under the influence of the energy storing spring l2, and as a result thetoggle formed by the links 59 and 69 will collapse and assume theposition illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings. This collapse of thetoggle formed by the links 59 and 60 will release the lever arm 58carried by the operating shaft l9 and permit the energy storing spring|2 to operate and open the circuit breaker. At the same time, as thetoggle formed by the links 59 and 60 is collapsing, the spring 63 willbecome operative to reset the floating fulcrum providing means 6| withrespect to the latch 64 which is controlled by the tripable mechanism64. At this point it will be understood that the opening of the circuitbreaker will also open the control circuit of the electromagnetic tripdevice 38 and thus render it inoperative to prevent a relatching of thelever means 5|.

Under the assumed conditions, it will also be understood that upon anopening of the circuit i breaker there will be established an auxiliarycontrol circuit which will immediately energize the electromagnetic tripdevice 34 and thus render it operative to move th latch lever 93 out oflatching relation with the abutment forming means 95. Therefore, withthis arrangement it will be seen that when the circuit breaker is openedby the spring means |2, the lever means 26 will be released by anunlatching of the abutment forming means 95 and it will immediatelyoperate under the influence of the energy storing spring I3 to re-extendthe toggle formed by the links 59 and 6D and thus cause the operatingshaft |9 to be rotated into its circuit breaker closed position, asshown in Figure 9. When the various elements are in the positionsillustrated in this latter figure of the drawings, it will be seen thatthe energy storing spring l2 will be fully compressed and in anoperative condition, while the energy storing spring |3, on thecontrary, wil be extended and spent. At the same time, as the levermeans 26 approaches its lowermost position under the influence of theenergy storing spring |3, the pin 50, previously described in connectionwith Figure 2 of the drawings as carried by the lever means 26, willengage the lever 49 and close the motor control switch 46 to thusestablish an energizing circuit for the electric motor 23 which operatesto turn the crank 2| upon which the lower end of the housing 2|] of theenergy storing spring I3 is mounted. When the motor control switch 46 isthus closed by an operation of the lever means 26, as above described,the motor 23 will rotate the crank 2| of the shaft 22 through onecomplete revolution, after which the cam 55 upon the shaft 22 willbecome operative through the cam lever 54 and the rod, 53 to release thelever 49 and permit the motor control switch 46 to again open under theinfluence of the tension spring 48. During this rotation of the shaft22, the crank 2| thereupon will first operate to raise the energystoring spring I3 with its enclosing cylinder 20 and the connecting rod25 upwardly and thus carry the lever means 26 into latched relation withthe abutment forming means 95- where it will be latched, as illustratedin Figure 10. Then, as the motor 23 continues to operate, the crank 2|upon the shaft .22 will be carried downwardly to its lowermost position,as; illus-;

trated in Figures 7, 8 and 9, where the cam 55' upon the shaft 22 willbecome'operative through the cam lever and the connecting rod 53" toagain release the lever 49 of the motor control switch 46. This Willdisconnect the motor 23 from its power circuit and the shaft 22 will bestopped with the energy storing springs I2 and I3 in an energizedcondition, as shown in Figure 7.

If it is now assumed that the overload r fault upon the power line isnot eliminated by the above described initial opening operation of thecircuit breaker, as illustrated in Figure 8, but still continues toexist while the elements of the toggle mechanism are in the positionsshown in Figure 9 of the drawings, the electromagnetic trip device 38will again become operative through the latch 64 to release the movablefulcrum providing lever means 6| and permit the toggle formed by thelinks 59 and 60 to-again move laterally with respect to the pivotallymounted abutment 66 and collapse independently of the lever means 216'.At the same time, as has been stated above, the pin 50- upon' the levermeans 26 will have engaged the lever 49 of the motor control switch 46to reconnect the: motor 23 to its power circuit. When this occurs,themotor 23 will operate to rotate the shaft 22 with its crank 2I in themanner above described until: the lever means 20 has been moved intolatched relation with the abutment forming means 95 and the energystoring spring I3 has been reener-' gized. At this point of the assumedoperation th elements of the reclosing mechanism will" again be in thelatched condition illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings and the timingmeoha nism 45 described in connection with, Figure 2 of the drawingswill then come into operation.

Upon now referring to Figure 2 of the draw-- ings, it will be noted thatthe timing mechanism 45' has a pivotally mounted lever I03 that isinterposed between a normally open circuitcontrolling switch I04 and aseries of rotatable discs I 05, each of w-hichcarry a cam formingprojection I06 that is adapted to engage and raise the lever I03 to thusclose the normally open circuit controlling switch I04. At this point itshould be stated that the rotatable discs I are adapted to be driven byaspring means that is maintained in a wound condition by a-- shaft I01that connects with the speed reducing gear 27, as shown in Figure l ofthe drawings. Itshould also be stated that when the circuit breakeroperating toggle mechanism I0 is in the condition shown in Figure '7 andas originally assumed with the-energy storing springs I2: and

I3 fully energized and the circuit breaker in its closed circuitposition, the rotatable discs; I05 will be held against movement by"latches Ij00- that are controlled by the releasing: lever 44-- of thetiming mechanism 45. Therelore, when the toggle operating mechanismfunctions to permit an opening of the circuit breaker under theinfluence of the energy storing spring I2, it will be seen that the arm42 upon the operating Shaft I9 will transmit a force through theflexible wire 43 and cause the lever 44 to release the rotatable discsI05 so that they may rotate counter-clockwise under the influence oftheir driving spring. Now, should it happen that the initial opening ofthe circuit breaker has eliminated the fault or overload upon the powerline, as first above assumed, the timing mechanism 45 will continue tooperate with no ellect upon the control mechanism until the rotatablediscs I05 have been returned andagain latched in the positionsillustrated in this figure of the drawings. This further operating ofthe timing mechanism will have no effect upon the control of the togglemechanism as the circuit controlling switch I04 is connected in serieswith a circuit of theauxiliary switch 40 that will be open when thecircuit breaker is closed. However, should it happen that the fault oroverload is not removed from the power line by the initial opening ofthe circuit breaker, as has been later assumed, the timing mechanism 45will continue to operate until the next cam forming projection I06 uponone of the discs I05 comes into cooperating relation with the lever I03to close the normally open switch I04; At the same, time, due to thetime interval provided by the spacing of the cam forming projections I06of the rotatable. discs I05, the motor 23 will have had sufiicient timeto efiect a further reenergizationof the energy storing spring I3 by arelatching of the lever means 26" in the position shown in Figure 8.When this occurs and the next cam forming projection I06 of the timingmechanism 45 engages the lever [03 thereof, the electromagnetic tripdevice 34' will be again energized and as a result the abutment formingmeans will be moved out of holding relation with respect to the levermeans 26' and permit the energy storing spring I-3 to again operate toextend the toggle formed by the links 59 and 60 and effect a second, butdelayed,.reclosing of the circuit breaker. Now, should it happen thatthe fault has not been removed. from the power line, the electromagnetictrip device 38 will again become operative and release the toggle.fulcrum providing lever means BI and permit another collapse of thetoggle mechanism formed by the links 59' and 60 and an opening of thecircuit breaker by the energy storing spring I2-. Under these conditionsthe timing mechanism 45 will continue to rotate and the above circuitbreakerlreclosing operation willbe, repeated when the next cam formingprojection I06 of the timing mechanism 45 comes into engagement with thelever I03 to effect a closing. of the circuit controlled by the normallyopen timer switch I04.

From the above it will be seen that in addition to'providing a new andnovel circuit breaker reclosing" mechanism by means of which an initialopening, an immediate reclosing, and a subsequent opening of the circuitbreaker may be acconiplished with two-energy storing springs'in anentirely automatic manner, the present invention also provides areclosing mechanism which is adapted to operate in conjunctionwith anysuitable timing means to produce a plurality of subsequent reclosingoperations of the circuit breaker in the event of a sustained overload,and after which the operating mechanism Willbe rendered inoperative onlywhen the circuit breaker is in its circuit open position.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose theinvention so that the same can be readily understood, described andillustrated specific devices and arrangements, I desire to have itunderstood that this invention is not limited to the specific meansdisclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggestthemselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that thisinvention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of theappended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention What I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is- 1. In a circuit breaker operating mechanism, acircuit breaker operating shaft rotatable between a circuit breaker openand closed position, spring means biasing said shaft into a circuitbreaker open position, a toggle mechanism for rotating and holding saidshaft into a circuit breaker closed position, a lever means pivotallymounted adjacent one end of and operable to extend said togglemechanism, spring means for moving said lever means in a togglemechanism extending direction, a tripable mechanism adapted to cause acollapse of said toggle mechanism, means for resetting said tripablemeans immediately after a collapse of said toggle mechanism, and asecond tripable mechanism adapted to release said lever means subsequentto a collapse of said toggle mechanism, whereby upon a successiveoperation of said first and second tripable mechanisms the circuitbreaker operating shaft will be rotated through a circuit breakeropening and a reclosing operation by said spring means.

2. In a circuit breaker operating mechanism, a circuit breaker operatingshaft rotatable between a circuit breaker open and closed position,spring means biasing said shaft into a circuit breaker open position, atoggle mechanism for rotating and holding said shaft into a circuitbreaker closed position, a lever means pivotally mounted adjacent oneend of and operable to extend said toggle mechanism, spring means formoving said lever means in a toggle mechanism extending direction, atripable mechanism adapted to cause a collapse of said toggle mechanism,means for resetting said tripable mechanism immediately after a collapseof said toggle mechanism, a second tripable mechanism adapted to releasesaid lever means subsequent to a collapse of said toggle mechanism,whereby upon a successive operation of said first and second tripablemechanisms the circuit breaker operating shaft will be rotated through acircuit breaker opening and a reclosing operation by said spring means,and means cooperating with said first tripable mechanism for holdingsaid toggle mechanism in its extended position independently of saidlever means.

3. In a circuit breaker operating mechanism, a circuit breaker operatingshaft rotatable between a circuit breaker open and closed position,spring means biasing said shaft into a circuit breaker open position, atoggle mechanism for rotating and holding said shaft into a circuitbreaker closed position, a lever means pivotally mounted adjacent oneend of and operable to extend said toggle mechanism, spring means formoving said lever means in a toggle mechanism extending direction, atripable mechanism adapted to cause a collapse of said toggle mechanism,means for resetting said tripable mechanism immediately after a collapseof said toggle mechanism, a second tripable mechanism adapted to releasesaid lever means subsequent to a collapse of said toggle mechanism,whereby upon a successive operation of said first and second tripablemechanisms the circuit breaker operating shaft will be rotated through acircuit breaker opening and a reclosing, operation by said spring means,means cooperating with said first tripable mechanism for holding saidtoggle mechanism in its extended position independently of said levermeans, and means operating through said second spring means forreturning said lever means into latched relation with said secondtripable mechanism and subsequently stressing said second spring meansto store lever operating energy therein.

4. In an operating mechanism for an automatic circuit breaker of thecharacter described, the combination of a circuit breaker operatingshaft, spring means operating to rotate said shaft in a circuit breakeropening direction, a toggle mechanism for holding said shaft againstrotation by said spring means when in its extended position, meansproviding a floating fulcrum at one end of said toggle mechanism, atripable mechanism for holding said means providing a floating fulcrumin an operative position with respect to said toggle mechanism, a levermeans pivotally mounted substantially co-axial with the normal operatingposition of the floating fulcrum at the end of said toggle mechanism,means carried by said lever engageable with the central axis of saidtoggle mechanism, a second tripable mechanism for retaining said levermeans in an inoperative position, spring means for moving said lever ina toggle mechanism extending direction when released by said lattertripable mechanism, and means operating through said latter spring meansfor moving said lever means into latched relation with said secondtripable mechanism and subsequently stressing said latter spring meansto store operating energy therein.

5. In a circuit breaker operating mechanism, an operating shaft, springmeans operable to rotate said shaft in a circuit breaker openingdirection, a toggle mechanism operable when in its extended position tohold said operating shaft against rotation by said spring means, meansproviding a floating fulcrum at one end of said toggle mechanism, atripable latch for holding said means providing a floating fulcrum in afixed operable position with respect to said toggle mechanism, a leverpivotally mounted substantially coaxial with the fixed operable positionof the floating fulcrum at the end of said toggle mechanism, a pawlcarried by said lever and engageable with the central joint of saidtoggle mechanism, a second tripable latch for retaining said lever andthe pawl carried thereby in an elevated position and out of engagementwith said toggle mechanism, spring means for moving said lever and thepawl thereupon downwardly and into toggle extending engagement with saidtoggle mechanism upon an operation of said second tripable latch, meansfor returning said lever into latched relation with said second tripablelatch and stressing said latter spring means to store lever operatingenergy therein, and means for moving the pawl carried by said lever outof engagement with the central joint of said toggle mechanism when thetoggle mechanism is fully extended, whereby said toggle mechanism maycollapse independently of said lever in the event of an operation ofsaid first tripable latch prior to a return and latching of said levermeans in its elevated position.

6. In a circuit breaker operating mechanism, an operating shaft, springmeans operable to rotate said shaft in a circuit breaker openingdirection, an extendable toggle mechanism operable when extended torotate said shaft in a circuit breaker closing direction against theaction of said spring means, means for retaining said toggle mechanismin an extended position, means providing a floating fulcrum at one endof said toggle mechanism and permitting longitudinal movement thereofout of engagement with said retaining means, a tripable latch forholding said means providing a floating fulcrum in an operable positionwith respect to said toggle mechanism, a lever pivotally mountedsubstantially coaxial with the normal operating position with thefloating fulcrum at the end of said toggle mechanism, a pawl carried bysaid lever and engageable with the central joint of said togglemechanism, a second tripable latch for retaining said lever and the pawlcarried thereby in an elevated position and out of engagement with saidtoggle mechanism, spring means for moving said lever and the pawlcarried thereby into toggle extending engagement with said togglemechanism upon an operation of said second tripable latch, meansoperating through said second spring means for returning said lever toits elevated position and subsequently stressing said latter springmeans to store lever operating energy therein, and means cooperatingwith said lever for resetting said second tripable latch when said leveris in its elevated position and prior to a stressing of said secondspring means by said last means.

'7. In a circuit breaker operating mechanism, an operating shaft, springmeans for rotating said shaft in a circuit breaker opening direction, anextendable toggle mechanism connected to said shaft and operable whenextended to hold said operating shaft in its circuit breaker closedposition against the action of said spring means, means providing afloating fulcrum for the other end of said toggle mechanism, retainingmeans engageable with the middle joint of said toggle mechanism forholding it in an extended posi tion, tripable means for retaining themeans providing a floating fulcrum in a fixed position and adapted whentripped to permit a longitudinal movement of said toggle mechanism outof engagement with said retaining means under the influence of saidspring means, and means adapted to control the collapsing movement ofsaid toggle mechanism and returning said means providing a floatingfulcrum at the end of said toggle mechanism to its fixed and operativeposition with respect to said tripable means.

8. In a circuit breaker operating mechanism, an operating shaft havingradially extending arms, spring means operating upon one of saidradially extending armsfor rotating said shaft in a circuit breakeropening direction, a toggle mechanism connected at one end to the otherof said radially extending arms and adapted when extended to rotate saidshaft in a circuit breaker closing direction against the action of saidspring means, a lever means pivotally mounted at a point adjacent theother end of said toggle mechanism and engageable at its free end withthe middle joint of said toggle mechanism, a second spring means foroperating said lever means in a toggle engaging and extending direction,a tripable mechanism adapted when operated to permit a collapse of saidtoggle mechanism and a movement of said operating shaft in a circuitbreaker opening direction under the action of said first spring means,means for resetting said tripable means immediately following a collapseof said toggle mechanism, and a second tripable mechanism adapted torelease said lever means, whereby said lever means will be operated bysaid second spring means to extend said toggle mech anism and rotatesaid operating shaft in a circuit breaker closing direction.

9. In a circuit breaker operating mechanism, an operating shaft havingradially extending arms, spring means operating upon one of saidradially extending arms for rotating said shaft in a circuit breakeropening direction, a toggle mechanism connected at one end to the otherof said radially extending arms and adapted when extended to rotate saidshaft in a circuit breaker closing direction against the action of saidspring means, a lever means pivotally mounted at a point adjacent theother end of said toggle mechanism, means at the free end of said levermeans engageable with the middle joint of said toggle mechanism, asecond spring means for operating said lever means in a toggle engagingand extending direction, a tripable mechanism adapted when operated topermit a collapse of said toggle mechanism and a movement of saidoperating shaft in a circuit breaker opening direction under the actionof said first spring means, means for resetting said tripable mechanismimmediately following a collapse of said toggle mechanism, and a secondtripable mechanism adapted to release said lever means, whereby saidlever means will be operated by said second spring means to extend saidtoggle mechanism and rotate said operating shaft in a circuit breakerreclosing direction, and means cooperating with the means at the freeend of said lever means for effecting a disengagement thereof from thetoggle mechanism, whereby said first tripable mechanism may operate topermit an immediate collapse of said toggle mechanism independently ofsaid lever means.

10. In an operating mechanism of the character described, thecombination of a circuit breaker operating shaft having an arm extendingradially therefrom, a toggle mechanism connected between the end of saidradially extending arm and a normally fixed fulcrum, a lever meanspivotally mounted adjacent said normally fixed fulcrum and operating ina plane parallel to the plane of movement of said toggle mechanism,spring means for operating said lever means in a toggle extendingdirection, an overhanging pawl at the end of said lever means adapted toengage said toggle mechanism between its ends, means for positioning andholding said pawl in cooperating relation with said toggle mechanismduring the toggle extending movement of said lever means, and means forreleasing and moving said pawl out of cooperating relation with saidtoggle mechanism when the latter is fully extended, whereby said togglemechanism will be free to collapse and permit an opening movement ofsaid circuit breaker operating shaft independently of said lever meansin the event of anabnormal condit-ion on the line controlled by thecircuit breaker.

AUGUST 0. SCHWAGER,

